Newman ready to soar as a Seagull

Dashing half-back flanker and ex-Dolphin Josh Newman says he can't wait for for Easter Monday when he runs out with his new club officially for the first time.

The 22-year old has enjoyed his first pre-season with the club, and says that he's ready to go for the Easter Monday blockbuster clash with Casey.

"The body is feeling really good," says Newman.

"I pulled up really well after Sunday's final practice match, which is always helpful leading into Round 1."

Joining a new club can always be a daunting task, but the transition to Williamstown was certainly made easier for Newman with five of his ex-teammates at Frankston also making the move across to Burbank Oval.

With plenty of new recruits on the track, gelling together on the field was always going to take some time, but Newman says working closely with the defensive group has him primed for the start of season proper.

"I have been working on a few defensive adjustments to my game with Collo so I've just been focusing on getting those things right heading into the season," says Newman.

"Everyone has made the transition really easy, the boys have all been really welcoming and the coaches and support staff have made all of the new guys feel right at home."

With the season opener just six days away, Newman says that the playing group are really excited to get stuck into playing for premiership points after a long off-season.

And after seeing first hand the strong list that Casey has put together for 2017, Monday's preliminary final rematch is a challenge that he, and the entire Seagulls list, are thoroughly looking forward to.

"Everyone is really confident with the work that we have done over the pre-season," says Newman.

"We came up against Casey a couple of weeks ago and they probably shocked us a bit with their physicality and speed, but we feel like we have addressed those issues from that game and we are excited to face them come Easter Monday."